Indicating system.



A. KERN. INDICATI'NG SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2|,'19|e.

mfwmw Patented Dec. 5,1916.

g I QUO'MMMJQ ADOLPH KERN, OF JERSEY CITY, NEVI JERSEY.

rivnrcnrnve sYsTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. a, rare.

Application filed March 21, 1916. Serial N 0. 85,684.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ADOLPH KERN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson andState of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements inIndicating Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an indicating system for cars passing eachother upon parallel tracks, by means of which signals will be given asto Whether that portion ofthe track on the opposite side of a particularcar is occupied. v

The primary object ofthe invention is to provide means the elements ofwhich are so arrangel that a signal will be given continuously until thelengths of both cars are plainly visible, with the advantage that itwill be impossible for a person to pass around the rear 'ofone car intoa position in advance of the car on the opposite track.

An object of the invention is to so arrange the' sources of currentrelative to the circuits and signal devices that the sources of currentwill be arranged in series thus decreasing the size of each generatingunit.

Another object of'the invention is to so construct the brushes that goodelectrical contact will be had at all times irrespective of theoscillatory or vibratory movement of time required by a car to traveltwice itslength.

lhe invention will be better understood from the following detaileddescription taken in the accompanying drawing wherein a preferredembodiment is illustrated and the features of novelty including all theabove mentioned and various others will be hereinafter pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating theapplication of my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional Viewthrough one of the brushes. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 ofFig. 2. Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that my invention is designedto give signals by the passing of cars upon parallel tracks 1 and 2 asillustrated in the drawing. I wish it to be understood that theapparatus can be designed to give signals from a plurality of paralleltracks this being readily accomplished by having both sides of the carprovided with my apparatus.

Each of the Passing s 3 and e have Each as to compensate for theoscillatory or vibratory movement of the can The wiper'll iscontinuously held in engagement with a contact rail by means of a coilspring 12encircling a binding post 13 which is slidably mounted in theframe 8 and rigidly connected in the wiper 11. Each car carries a sourceof current 14 such as an electric generator and signaling devices 15shown in this particularinstance as electric lamps arranged one at eachend of the. car so, as to pro ect the light rays in a direction to bevisible by a person endeavoring to cross the track. I a J 1..

The signaling devices 15 of each car are arranged in series with eachother by means of the conductor 16 that has its terminals connectedrespectively to the ends of the contact rail 5. Each car has its pair ofshoes electrically connected together by means of a conductor 17 at thispoint I wish to call attention to the fact that the generator is bridgedacross the conductors 16 and 17. From this arrangement it will be seenthat when a shoe 7 of one car engages the contact rail of another carand the other car performs the same function the generators will'bethrown in series with each other and all of the signal devices renderedactive by the passage of current as illustrated by the arrows. Anotheradvantage of my arrange ment is that owing to the arrangement of thecircuits, shoes, and signaling devices, the resistance of the latter tothe flow of current will be materially reduced because other. Upon theadvance shoe leaving the contact rail the rear shoe takesup .the duty ofproviding a path for the current and thus 7 a person cannot passaroundthe rear of oneit will be seen that by my. arrangement the signals willbe continuously given for aperiod equal to the time required by a car totravel twice its length and as the result car into a position in'advanceof the car upon'the opposite track without being given a signal. ,Itherefore do not desire to be limitedin these parti'culars'or in anyothers except; as set forth inthe appended claims.

'I for each car, a signaling device for each car 1 rendering saidsignaling devices active, said length of the car.

'so. v cl-udlng a source of current and a signal,

normally out' of circuit with said generator and means carriedbyboth'cars cooperating for 'connectlng thegenerators in series formeans including a contact rail extending the .2. An electric indicatingsystem 'for cars traveling on parallel tracks, arcontactrail foreach carsecured' to'the side thereof, a

shoe for each car and arranged to have slidable'engagement with thetrack of a passing car and a circuit for each car inand connected' toits associated contact rail and shoe. w

An electric indicatingsystem for cars travelingon parallel tracks, acontact rail secured to the side of each car, a pair of shoes supportingat opposite ends of each 7 car a circuit including said brushes andcontact rail and a source of current connected to said circuit in such amanner as to be arranged in series with the source of currentofanother'car upon engagement between the brushes and rail of one carwith the brushes and rail of another car.

4. An electric indicating system for cars traveling on parallel tracks,a contact rail secured to the side of each car, a pair of shoessupporting at opposite ends of each car a circuit including said brushesand contact rail and a source of current connected to said circuit insuch a manner as to be arranged in series with the source of current ofanother car upon engagement between the brushes and rail of one car withthe brushes and rail of another car, each of said brushes being soformed as to yieldably engage with the contact rail and compensate foroscillatory movement.

5. An electric indicating system for passing cars comprising car carriedmechanism including a contact rail extending the length of the car, apair of signaling devices one at each end of the car and connecting inseries With each other and with said contact rail a pair of brusheselectrically connected together and supported one at each end of the carand a generator having one pole connected to the'brushes and its otherpole connected to said signaling devices. 7

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ADOLPH KERN.

Witnesses:

ANNA V. DOYLE, CHRIS FEINLE, Jr.

copiesof this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, f V i Washington, I). G.

